Research In Motion Ltd reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday and the struggling BlackBerry maker managed to increase its cash pile in the run-up to the launch of its make-or-break line of next generation devices.

You know things are going from bad to worse for BlackBerry farmer Research In Motion when some of the stodgiest companies on the planet start trading in their BlackBerry smartphones for shiny new iPhones. The most recent defector from RIM: Halliburton, the fuddy-duddy oil-field services giant that critics associate with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, Dick Cheney, and no-bid contracts in Iraq.

Apple recently introduced iMessage, a new service that lets users send text messages, photos and videos between all Apple devices. This could challenge Research in Motion's BlackBerry Messenger service, which has been a unique selling point as the company struggles to compete with Google's Android and Apple's iPhone.

Investors have abandoned Research In Motion, which may finally make it a good investment again. Twenty months ago, the smartphone company's shares traded at $85. The stock now changes hands at around $49. But there are good reasons to expect that it won't stay that low for long.

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer debuts Tuesday, and for the many folks in the corporate world already armed with BlackBerry phones, the addition of a PlayBook may make sense. But there are a host of reasons why the average consumer may find the device not quite ready for the spotlight.

Research In Motion's plans to make its superb BlackBerry Messenger service available as an app on Androids and iPhones will get its signature software in front of a wider audience. But will RIM's initiative win new customers, or cannibalize its already failing market share?

Kodak has accused Apple and Research in Motion of infringing on one of its digital-imaging patents with the iPhone and BlackBerry smartphones. But the International Trade Commission in Washington has ruled against Kodak in a preliminary decision.

Research In Motion unveiled the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and a new operating system on Tuesday in a bid to show it, too, can deliver a cool consumer gadget. It's sleek, comes with a touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a host of new social media and Web browsing features. But can it beat Apple at its own game?

Research In Motion's (RIMM) uninspiring earnings results are further evidence that the BlackBerry maker is feeling the effects of robust competition from relative mobile newcomers Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG).

Google's Android is proving to be the first true competitor to Apple's iPhone in terms of bandwidth consumption and rich application use.
If providers such as MetroPCS or Leap Wireless start offering Android-powered smartphones, it could be a big problem for some big players.